Carles Puyol to collect €100,000 cheque from UEFA on behalf of ICRC

020 - €100,000 raised via uefa.com users' Team of the Year 2010

UEFA will tonight present a cheque for €100,000 to Carles Puyol, who amassed over 230,000 votes to be named the captain of the uefa.com users' Team of the Year 2010. Puyol will donate the cheque to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

William Gaillard, Adviser to UEFA President Michel Platini, will hand over the cheque to FC Barcelona's star player before the start of tonight's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC at the Camp Nou. For the fourth time, this money will be going from the hands of the Team of the Year's captain to one of UEFA's long-standing partners, the ICRC. The donation will support the ICRC's physical rehabilitation programme for landmine victims in Afghanistan.

UEFA began its partnership with the ICRC in 1997 with support to the ICRC anti-landmine campaign. All monies donated go to the Score for the Red Cross campaign in support of the ICRC rehabilitation project for landmine victims in Afghanistan, providing victims with artificial limbs, physiotherapy and vocational training. The ICRC's limb-fitting and rehabilitation programme has helped over 90,000 mine victims and other disabled people since it was established in 1988.

Ahead of donating his UEFA award money to the ICRC, FC Barcelona's Carles Puyol said:

"I am greatly honoured to be voted as the UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2010 captain. I realise how privileged I am not just to play football but simply to have my health and two good legs. I am happy to make this contribution to do something to help people less fortunate than me and hope it can go some way to improving their quality of life."

Helen Alderson, head of financial resources and logistics at the ICRC, said:

"We are very grateful for this generous donation, which will help us maintain and develop the services we provide for mine victims and other disabled people in Afghanistan. Carles Puyol is not only helping us financially but also giving us his moral support, which is important because he has many fans in Afghanistan."

The UEFA.com users' Team of the Year for 2010 was:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF); Maicon (FC Internazionale Milano), Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona), Ashley Cole (Chelsea FC); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona), Wesley Sneijder (FC Internazionale Milano), Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), David Villa (FC Barcelona). José Mourinho (Real Madrid CF).